It doesn’t take long in a day to find an offense–be it a political division, cut off in traffic, a neighbor’s unruly yard (that might be mine!), a long-term disagreement or being unfriended on facebook. Facebook alone is a source of irritation and strife for many of us. I often wonder why we subject ourselves to it?

So we find ourselves needing to forgive. Sometimes, we don’t even know when the switch from contentedness to infuriated occurred. But it did. And now we are dealing with swirling thoughts of cantankerousness that have muddied up the happy-go-lucky waters. Perhaps at this point we need to be put in time-out? I think so!

Sometimes, though, much time passes and we are beginning to feel the effects of unforgiveness. It is eating away at our health, our joy, our other relationships and even our future dreams. I’d say we are prisoners to that place of unforgiveness. Maybe we need counselling at this point. Maybe we need to write a letter. Maybe we need to try to talk it out. But when all of that does not seem to make a dent in it, we may need to change our perspective. I thought I would share my own healing journey with you.

Perhaps it will lighten your own journey’s load. I pray it will!

In 2005, my family and I followed God’s prompting to move to Colorado–it was a journey of faith that entire year. My parents would not accept it. They tried every tactic they could to regain “control” of the situation and to keep us in Texas–to no avail. We moved and they refused to bless us in doing so. From this point on, our relationship, which had formerly been what we thought was a GOOD one, would be strained to non-existent. So what’s a daughter to do? I did what I thought any good child would do….I held up my end of the relationship as much as possible. We sent gifts and letters (they sent gifts and letters back). We called them. We even visited four times and stayed with them part of the time (my Chris’ parents live in the same town). But they refused to visit. They have called a handful of times over the years. And when we were there, we were not allowed to discuss Colorado or our lives here. We had to play by their rules.

Deep down, I fought resentment and unforgiveness–holding it in a tight fist, so no one could see. I had even felt like I was being forgiving in the way I responded–some of that was completely pretense. For I was not being forgiving, I was holding a grudge and justifying myself by keeping score. And the fact is, no one ever keeps score fairly in relational struggles. There is a skew of perception that tells us we are alright and in-the-right. It is a tactic of the enemy and for 5 years, it worked.

Then one day, after much distress over the tried and failed attempts at reconciliation, I felt the Lord prompt me to lay down my chess piece…to quit the game entirely. That day, I did. I dropped all of the doings, except sending gifts and a card that only read, “I love you. I am praying for you.” My Chris even spelled it out that we were open to reconcile at any time, but they would need to make some steps for that to happen. It did not fix the situation–and it may never be fixed. The Lord gave us both the gift of peace.

The fact is a bridge being built from one end only is not a bridge, it’s a slide to the muddy waters beneath. Both sides must work to build it for it to stand. We cannot make someone else build. We simply can’t. At this point, we have prayer only, and prayer to the Living God is a powerful tool in all struggles we face!

ONE BIG THING it did do is FREE me to forgive them and release my parents into God’s hands. You see, I could tell you all the in’s and out’s of the story. But there is nothing good that can come from talking about it or even justifying it–no one wins. The effective place to be is in a place of prayer before God. He is between us and He cares. He gets it–and knows thoroughly all the aspects of the story. From this place, I have begun to find freedom in other sticky relational problems. I have begun to lose weight–30 lbs since last August! I have begun to be disciplined and more focused. My health has turned around even–I have not been to the doctor in 1 1/2 years. It is amazing!

Some days I still have a sadness over it all–and feel the great loss. Some days I feel resentment creep back in. And on those days, I get quiet and still before God. He sees me through it all, as I live open-handed before Him, freeing them to go on and freeing myself to live fully.

This is a hard story to share. I nearly shared it sparing the details, but I knew that this Easter time, Jesus died for ALL of us. He came to set the captive sinners free, of which I am the worst. I share this because light over darkness is a powerful thing!

Today I am so very thankful for new beginnings and hopeful for the future.

Several weeks ago, I perceived a distinct unpleasantness in our garage.

It began as an odd odor, and progressed into a full blown muggy funk. For a few days we left the garage door open, but as the stench lingered, my family simply altered its traffic pattern toward the patio. Avoidance of this unknown source was not a suitable long-term solution.

“Well, it’s not getting any better!” I pleaded with the mass of denial. We had looked in all the usual places: it was not a shoe or a cooler or a ball bag. So what and where was it?

Finally, we decided to draw straws to choose an investigator. Since my oldest son’s olfactory senses have been numbed by years of dirty socks and body functions, he received the honorary short straw. We wished him well as he paused at the laundry room door, then we watched as our courageous, selfless firstborn headed out to solve this repulsive mystery. (It should be noted that his courage and perceived selflessness may have emerged from my “no meals ’til we figure this out” ultimatum. Who can know for sure?)

After quite a while, he came in and walked directly to the kitchen sink where he washed his hands – FAR longer than he typically does. As my blue-eyed teen somberly dried his hands with a towel, the family gathered, hoping to hear of his discoveries.

In his preciously thick, East Texan drawl, he began to speak.

“Umm. You guys remember last week when Mom asked me to bring in milk from the deep freeze? Well … ummm, the milk was behind … So, like a month ago, you guys remember … I don’t know if I told y’all that I caught a monster bass over in Mr. Bobby’s pond. Anyway, I thought about getting it mounted, so I wrapped it in a plastic bag and stuck it in the freezer. So, like … I guess I set it in front of the milk. And when Mom wanted the milk the other day, I had to set the fish on top of the fridge to dig out the milk because … you guys know how ice sorta builds up around things in the freezer? ”

Each member of the family stood still and stared in wide-eyed amazement as he spoke. Some seemed satisfied by the poetic justice of his coincidental short straw and guilty status. Others were distracted by his unorthodox manner of story-telling which exhibited a complete lack of chronological coherence. We raised our eyebrows and collectively leaned in closer – prompting him to finish his narrative quickly and happily.

“So … I guess I got the milk, and brought it in. But I guess I totally forgot about the fish. But … uh … I don’t think I can get it mounted now, so I just took it out and buried it by the back fence. It had gotten juice all on top of the freezer too, so I cleaned that up with some paper towels and threw them away. It still kinda stinks out there, though. I should probably get some Lysol or somethin’, but it’s all good. … Are the Rangers winning?”

***

Several months ago, I perceived a distinct unpleasantness in my life. Its lingering funkiness indicated an unknown source beyond the usual challenges of everyday life.

I tried to air it out. I tried to ignore it. But ultimately, I resolved to seek out and eliminate the source of ugliness. The process of sin-search was not fun. I had to be brave. Deep down I knew there would be no nourishment or growth until I dealt with the mess.

Ultimately, I found an unforgiven wound – though once carefully preserved, it was now exposed and rotting – affecting my environment in the most undesirable way. Once God led me to the source of my pain, He walked with me as I dealt with it properly. Not by concealing it in plastic, frozen in time and space, but by burying it deep within the humble, loosened soil of my life. It would die away and become the richness of fertile ground.

And the Father began a new thing in me.

Seeds of grace…

firmly planted,

nestled in the compost of sorrow turned to joy,

watered by the Word,

warmed by the presence of the Son,

strengthened by the wind of the Spirit

… bursting forth into fragrant flowers and fresh fruit.

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:40

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” – James 4:10

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

“Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” – Colossians 3:13

“There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration … My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess them to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” – Psalm 32:3-5

“Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.” – Matthew 5:6

Delays and disappointments are common to man. However, if you are a friend of God delays and disappointments are often gifts from His hand to take us deeper and allow us to be someone through whom He can display His glory.

In John chapter eleven we see this lived out in such an extraordinary way we may miss the implications for our own lives. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were friends of Jesus. They had a history and were intimate friends. When their brother, Lazarus, became ill they sent word to Jesus. They knew Jesus healed, they had seen Him and they heard the testimonies. Jesus received that word and this was His reaction,

“Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was.”John 11:5-6

Notice that love motivated His delay. Love allowed the disappointment. Love allowed the death of Lazarus, and the devastation to ultimately take them deeper and display His glory.

Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house. John 11:20

Martha called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here, and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she arose quickly, and was coming to Him. John 11:28-29 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:31-33

For those of you who know Mary and Martha’s history it may surprise you that it was Martha and not Mary that instinctively and quickly made her way to Jesus. People may act in unexpected and uncharacteristic ways in crisis. When thrown in prison, the bold and fiery John the Baptist questioned the validity of the One he had previously proclaimed. Disappointment or disillusionment in the way Jesus allows things to unfold can shake us to our core.

We read that the Jews who were with Mary were comforting her. The word comfort literally means to “relate near.” On some basic level just the presence of people who care about us can provide solace, but eventually they go home and we are alone. We don’t know why Mary didn’t run to meet Jesus but I suspect she was deeply disappointed that Jesus didn’t respond in the way she thought he would. We don’t know why she didn’t go until Martha told her that He was calling for her. One of the simplest things we can do for the hurting is to remind them that Jesus is waiting for them to come to Him with their grief and questions.

When Mary got up her comforters presumed she was going to the tomb to weep because that is a very human response. We visit the grave, we relive the events, we cry, we leave tributes, but I personally have never found consolation in those acts. But I have, with countless others, reached the place where Jesus is. It was there at His feet that Mary and Martha released their hurt and disappointment. It was there at His feet they received a deeper revelation of who He was. He took them beyond what they already knew. “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” Mary and Martha knew Him as healer, but He would take them deeper. He would show them that He is the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Jesus shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Jesus shall never die. John 11:25-26 What a revelation, what a promise, and what an amazing Savior.

We all have our own ways of coping and making it through tough times. Where do you go when you are wounded, disappointed, or grieving? Mary and Martha went to the place where Jesus was. We too need to get there by faith. Stand on His promise that He is near to the brokenhearted and to those who are crushed in spirit. He will not fail you. You may be disappointed because you know what He could have done and didn’t. But you don’t know what He can do if you trust Him. When He doesn’t meet our expectations He wants to exceed them. He will work it for our good and His glory. He wants to take us deeper still. Get to the place where He is. He is calling for you.

MY PRAYER: Lord, whatever you allow in our lives is meant to draw us deeper into our understanding and experience of you. Help us to run to you for the healing and comfort that we need. Only you can bring life in the midst of brokenness, hurt, and confusion. In Your beautiful name, amen.

“I just heard what happened! I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Thank you, no, we are fine.”

“Well, if you can think of anything, please don’t hesitate to call me.”

Have you ever been one of the participants in such conversations? Do you feel like you have at least offered your help or showed some concern with either conversation?

I have, almost daily.

Part of my job is answering a customer service phone line. It’s unbelievable how many times the conversations start with, “Hi, how are you today?” I can get pretty frustrated, because they don’t really want to know. They don’t want to know that my ankles hurt so badly I can barely walk on them in the mornings, or that I didn’t sleep last night so I’m falling asleep at the keyboard now, or that my son just called and he really doesn’t want to go to school today and I have to somehow convince a 17 year old over the phone that he does in fact have to go to school, or that I have about 10 bills due that I have to figure out how to pay, or …… I think you get the picture.

It’s programmed into us to ask insincere questions and respond with insincere answers. It’s a canned response that we give without a second thought when we greet people.

But I wonder…what if we really asked because we really wanted to know how someone was doing or what we could really do for someone during a time of need?

I just had a friend ask me how I was doing. While I responded with a canned response, I also went on from there and had a moment of a real conversation with her. Her husband had recently had surgery, her father had recently passed away, her family was hurting in ways that I knew about, and she was about to become a grandmother. I could have chosen any number of things to show genuine concern because I am genuinely concerned about her. Even after she walked off I thought of her circumstances and prayed.

That’s what genuine concern does. It reaches out, it takes part, it lifts up, it encourages, it stands in the gap, it takes a moment and gives space for someone else’s tears. Genuine concern asks you a second time, while making eye contact, “How are you really doing?”

I was recently at an event that was emotional for me, but I tried to keep those emotions pressed down. I made it through the event just fine, but afterwards, as the place was clearing out, one of the workers asked me how I was doing. She knew the event was stressful for me. She knew that I had to revisit memories of recently lost loved ones.

I gave the canned response and continued to prepare to exit the building as quickly as possible. But I was stopped by this sweet lady taking my hands.

She stilled my busyness, touching me, forcing me to make eye contact and then she asked again, “How are you really?”

The tears came then because truthfully, I wasn’t okay.

In that moment, I found healing. Suddenly about 7 women surrounded me, all touching me somehow, all crying with me, all understanding completely without words the pain I was in. There was community in the truth. There was a sisterhood that connected us, because none of us are as “fine” as we say.

It only lasted for a few moments, but I was forever changed. No longer can I give the canned response and no longer can I ask the question unless I really want to take time to find out how someone is.

Like the beggar outside the Temple…

Now Peter and John were going up together to the temple complex at the hour of prayer at three in the afternoon. And a man who was lame from birth was carried there and placed every day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so he could beg from those entering the temple complex. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple complex, he asked for help. Peter, along with John, looked at him intently and said, “Look at us.” So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. So he jumped up, stood, and started to walk, and he entered the temple complex with them —walking, leaping, and praising God.

Acts. 3:1-8 HCSB

The beggar wasn’t expecting anything other than what he had always been given…. little attention and little time. But Peter and John stopped, made eye contact, gave space to someone else’s need, and changed a life.

What if, instead of asking what we can do to help someone, we just show up with dinner one night? We knock on the door of a friend going through a rough time and offered to watch the kids while she takes a bath, do the dishes and put on a load of laundry? What if, instead of passing people by, we actually stopped and chatted with them, listening more than speaking? What if, we truly made space for other people in our schedule?

What if we just simply made eye contact and asked with a sincere heart,

I was reading the account of Naaman’s leprosy being healed in 2 Kings 5:1-19. I encourage you to dig into the whole passage.

Naaman was a man in charge. Being the commander of the army of the king of Syria is a huge thing!

Naaman was also a “flawed” man. He was a leper.

There was a young girl from Israel that was taken captive and made a servant of Naaman’s wife.

The young girl was a God-send to Naaman; if he saw it that way, I’m not sure.

The girl was hooking her master up! She held the knowledge of a prophet that could heal him of his leprosy. The young girl shared the news with her mistress.

I’ll fast forward through the text a little bit to get to the part that most intrigued me and got me to thinking.

The day came that Naaman met the prophet Elisha. Elisha told Naaman to go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and his flesh would be restored, and he will be clean.

Sounds simple and easy enough, but NOOOO, Naaman wanted more than the simplicity.

The passage says that Naaman became furious and went away mumbling on about how he figured the prophet would come out to him and stand and call on the name of the LORD and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.

Naaman wanted the grandeur of his healing to match the magnificence of his position in service to the king of Syria.

It took one of Naaman’s servants to appeal to him to just dip, already!

The servant’s words were so powerful,

“My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”

Apparently, Naaman came into his right mind. He went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God. His flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Just dip, already! How many times have I exalted myself and thought that I was “somethin’ else” or thought, “I’m too good for this!”? I’ve wanted the flashing lights to be the evidence that God was indeed moving in my life.

God can and will use the simplicity of a thing…anything to move us to obedience. It’ll be to our own demise if we choose not to follow His lead.

God is perfection. He knows best. He knows what healing, restoration and cleanliness is in store–even in the Jordan River.

What “Jordan River” are you not wanting to dip in, because it seems too simple or even beneath you?

In general, I think most people learn best from their mistakes, but it is always nice when I don’t have to learn lessons the hard way. This month at the “AMH” website the contributors were asked to write a letter to their “past” or “future” self. It didn’t take me long to figure out what I would write to my “past” self.

Dear Kim,

This letter is a gift and will probably change your life and save you a lot of pain if you let it. I know right now you are struggling with your relationship with the Lord, and because of that fact you are not in a great place in your marriage. Just know that things will get better as the Lord is for you and He will never leave you. However, before I close this letter I want to share some words of wisdom that the Lord has taught me over the past 17 years. If you really take them to heart, it will change your life.

Right now, I know that married life is hard and at times all you can see is what is wrong with “Aaron” (hubby). Aaron is a flawed man, as you are a very flawed woman (that might be a shock to you at this stage). Very soon you will come to a place of desperation and you will cry out to God and beg for His help. He will answer you and you will begin a new journey with Him. During this time, God will speak to your heart and tell you that you need to stop worrying about trying to change Aaron and to work on changing yourself. It is time for you to take a look in the mirror and allow God to show you the truth about yourself, even when the truth is hard and ugly. It will change your life in the best way possible.

God is the only one that can truly change your heart, and know that He will also change the heart of Aaron, but for now take your focus off Aaron and put it on God. He will do amazing things in your heart and in the heart of your future family. Remember these words from the Bible…

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

PS. Enjoy your Disney Princess Days as you will become very familiar with Hot Wheels in the future 🙂

Today is Joanne’s birthday!! I cannot even express my joy over what the Lord has done, is doing and will do in Joanne’s life. He has been the very best PCP (Primary Care Physician) for her. And He will continue to mark her road, her journey, for success to be and to do and to experience all His best for her.

My life has been irrevocably and wonderfully changed and marked because of Joanne and who she is AND because of the LORD and Who He is! Each day, I have learned more about prayer, intercession, encouragement and sincere love and faith…all because of Joanne Heim and her precious family.

Celebrate with us, will you? Go to her blog and tell Joanne a verse you are praying or even just let her know that God has kept her on your heart to pray. It would mean so much!

Also, if you live in the Denver area, come and join us in a night of worship on her behalf this Friday night. All the details are found here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOANNE!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

As the evenings come early and the crisp air flows all around, we realize, winter is upon us. While I enjoy each season as it comes as goes, winter is by far one of my favorites. Favorite because as I walk bundled up, in a flurry of falling snowflakes, I see no leaves, no flowers, no green. I pause for a moment remembering the spring before of the glorious red, yellows and blues. Trees full of leaves and the sweet melody of birds. Now, as I look around and see shimmering white I am reminded that the flower and trees are hibernating getting ready to again blaze with beauty once the first thaw of Spring begins. But, in order to do this, they need time to prepare and time to be still.

We too need times in our lives to stop, be still and reflect and winter presents us that opportunity. Winter gives us the chance to bundle up in the warmth of our homes and the hearts of friends and loved ones. Winter reminds us that just as leaves fall from trees, we too can shed the pain of our past so we’ll have new growth in the future. While winter’s cold may seem long and deep, we know with all certainty it will end soon.

As we enter the season of Winter I encourage each of you to let the past go and to forgive one another. Spend some time this season reflecting on all the blessings you have. Decide how you want to bloom and grow, make a plan, and put it into action. Winter is a wonderful time of year to enjoy the crisp air and short days realizing that no matter what we are going through it is only for a season and Spring is coming soon.

“Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.” Psalm 102:18

Over five years ago today, I didn’t know it. The farthest thing from my mind was having another child. But I was expecting a baby girl. I was probably about two weeks pregnant. I wondered why all the normal holiday foods sounded so very gross. I had purchased the materials for so much baking. I did none. I wouldn’t know that I was expecting a baby until after Christmas-time. For the first time in all our expectations, I was completely and utterly surprised. By the time I had visited the doctor, I would be over a quarter of the way there.

We had moved to Colorado with hopes for the future God was carving out. We had suffered loss like death, but no one had died. We still suffer from that alive-like death. So a part of me was really hurting. Another part was hopeful and trusting. And another part? A surprise in the making was taking place, a weaving, if you will.

I look at her today and see a balm of healing. All of my children bring me such joy. But our surprise package delivered in Colorado over 4 1/2 years ago is truly a fragrant gift that God used to repair a torn soul.

So today, I think upon the words above…that a people not yet created may praise the Lord. Not yet, but coming. Not yet, but expecting to see our testimony written, so that they may praise the Lord.

We are in a “yet” moment. So I decided to look up yet in the Bible. Read through them with me. See if you are in a “yet” moment and write down the testimony that God is shaping in your life. Take hope in the fact that yet also points to God’s YES. It is a tiny word that is packed with power and hope.

One thing God has been speaking over my heart lately is about time and Him. He has been reminding me that He is not bound by time. He is already waiting for us at a time of celebration and a time of mourning. He is in the “yet” moment. He created it. I praise Him for it–in advance!

2 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 6:7-10

in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Philippians 3:13

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

Philippians 4:14

Yetit was good of you to share in my troubles.

2 Timothy 1:12

That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

1 John 3:2

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Revelation 3:8

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

John 11:6

Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

John 16:13

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yetto come.

John 20:29

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yethave believed.”

Romans 4:20

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.

Romans 8:25

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Habakkuk 3:18

yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Lamentations 3:21

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope

Psalm 42:5-6a

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yetpraise him,

my Savior and my God.

Psalm 73:23

YetI am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

Job 8:21

He willyet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

Psalm 22:3

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.

Have any of these verses resonated with you today? For the final verse says it all…in every struggle, every trial, every time without hope…YET the LORD, the Holy One, the praise of Israel, yet He is on the throne.

He is working on our behalf. He is watching. He is timing it just right. He is orchestrating a symphony of the ages. And we? We get to be a part of His music.